Plant spraying implement



July 21, 1936. F. H. FRIEDMAN PLANT SPRAYING IMPLEMENT Filed Oct. 5, 1955 20 r O Y {I O 3wuc14*o1,,

, FEE'zkcZman, 3

N v v vaunted July 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ram sesame IMIPIEMENT Fred H. Friedman, Chosen, Fla. Application October a, 19:5, Serial No. 43.403 cam (01. 299-45) My invention relates to plant spraying implements, and particularly to a hand pushed straddle-row implement to be used by a walking operator to spray growing plants in rows in a field or 5 garden.

directing the spray away from the operator, thus if insuring eflicient and eifective operation and protecting the user from contact with or the eifects of poisonous or other injurious spray materials where these are used.

A further object is to provide a plant spraying implement adaptable for use in spraying a plurality of rows of plants and freely and readily i adjustable to spray a single row or two or more rows, the construction being such that the amount of liquid as sprayed and the force of each indi- 25 vidual spray, as well as the proximity of the spray discharge to the plants, can be-adjusted for varying conditions of use.

With the above and other objects and purposes in view, which will be apparent to those oo' skilled in the art, my invention includes and embodies certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in connection with the drawing.

5 In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a plant spraying implement constructed in accordance with my invention. a

Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

40 Fig. 3 is a fragmentarypartial sectional view to better show the pump structure and associated parts.

The supporting frame is made up to be of substantially U-shaped form and consists of the 5 side bars I and 2, which can be of channel iron or other suitable material, connected together by a transversely disposed handle bar member 3. At their outer ends, the side bar members I and 2 have axle bearing-members 6 mounted and se- 50 cured on the lower sides of .the side bars.

An axle 5, is mounted revolubly in the bearings d and has a carrying wheel 6 secured in fixed mounting in its middle portion. The ends of axle 5 extend beyond the outer faces of the side 55 bars I and 2 and have drive gears I and 9 fixedly mounted thereon. Stub shafts 9 and iii are revolubly mounted in bearings II, which bearings are also mounted on the lower sides of the side bars I and 2, so that the axis of rotation of the stub shafts 9 and ill will be substantially in line 5 with the axis of rotation of the axle 5. These stub shafts 9 and II) have thereon driven pinions I2 and I3, which pinions are meshed with the drive gears I and 8. Crank arms I4 and I 5 are associated with and moved by the driven pinions 10 I2 and I3.

A liquid storage and supply tank I6 is mounted on the upper sides of the side bars I and 2 at a point intermediate the axle 5 and the handle 3,

so that the weight of this tank, and of its contents, will be substantially balanced and centered upon the side bars. Pump cylinders I1 and I8 are mounted and carried, by suitable brackets or other suitable supporting structure, to be preferably outside of and below the lower faces of the side bars I and 2, and these cylinders are substantially lined up with a line taken through the axle 5 and the stub shafts 9 and Ill. The two cylinders I1 and I8 are substantially duplicates in their construction and connections, and refer-ring to Fig. 3, liquid supply pipes I9 are con- .nected with the bottom of the liquid supply and storage tank I6 and with one end of each cylinder. A liquid cut ofi and control valve 20 is provided in each pipe I9 to control the supply of liquid therethrough, while supply check valve 2| will prevent back flow of liquid from the pump cylinder. A liquid discharge pipe 22, leading from the compression end of the cylinder I8, has a liquid discharge check valve 23 therein to prevent back flow of liquid into the pump cylinder I 9. A pump piston 23 is mounted for reciprocatory movement in each of the pump cylinders I1 and I8, and the pistons within the respective cylinders I'I andI8 have the piston rods 24 and 25 extending therefrom toward the driven pinions I2 and I3. Pitman rods 26 and 2! connect the piston rods 29 and 25 with the crank arms It and I5 respectively. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the driven pinions I2 and I3 are meshed with the drive gears I and 8 so that the crank arms I6 and i5 are on opposite sides of the axial center of rotation of the stub shafts 9 and I0, and thus the piston in cylinder I! will be moved on the instrokeor compression stroke while the piston in cylinder i9 is being carried on the outstroke or suction stroke, and the reverse.

A distributing pipe 28 is mounted transversely across beneath the side bar members I and 2 and is held in place by brackets 29, or other suitable supports. 1 This distributor pipe has the liquid discharge pipes from the two cylinders l1 and I8 connected therewith so that-liquid is supplied under pressure from each of the cylinders I1 and Hi to the distributing pipe 28, and due to the opposite disposition of the crank arms l4 and i5, as set forth above, one of the pumps will be constantly operating on a compression stroke to thus insure a constant and substantially even sup ply of liquid under pressure from the liquid carrying and storage tank It to the distributor pipe 28 3mm s 4 W V I'his distributor pipe 28' has a plurality of valve connections 30,- 3I, 32, and 33 fitted therein at spaced points corresponding in their spacing substantially to the width between rows of plants as growing in a field and with which my improved implement is to be used. Each one of these valved fittings has a pipe 36 extending downwardly therefrom and provided at its end with a liquid spraying or difiusing nozzle 35.

It has been found that by mounting the axle 5, the stub shafts 9 and Ill and the pumps i1 and it below the lower faces of the side bar members I and 2, and substantially in horizontally aligned relation, and then mounting the liquid storage and carrrying tank l6 above the frame structure, a very convenient and compact structure is provided and at the same time the parts are so disposed so as to require only a minimum efiort in pushing the implement across a field and in handling and manipulating the implement. The

tubes 34 will of course be made of sumcient length.

to dispose the liquid spray or diffusing nozzles in positionsto accomplish most efilcient spraying of the plants growing in the rows. As shown in Figure 1, it has beenfound desirable to offset the side frame members downwardly, as indicated at 36, so that the handle 3 is placed substantially in line with the center linetaken through the pump cylinders and the stub shafts 9 and lo and the axle 5. With this offset arrangement and formation, the handle 3 is placed lower down for more convenient grasping and manipulation by the operator or user, and at the same time the handle isplaced sufficiently low that the operator can raise the handle during use to thus elevate the tube portions and the nozzles 35 to accommodate difierent heights of plants and to dispose the outlet from the nozzles at different elevations or positions with respect to" the plants of the row being sprayed. The two oppositely working pumps will insure a constant and substantially As a single wheel 6 is provided and the crosshandle 3 is directly in line with this wheel, the

wheel and the operator can travel in the space between adjacent rows of plants, and the spraying mechanism can be adjusted for and used to spray one or more of the parallel rows of plants. Where the implement is being used upon a hillture-can be readily tilted upon the support of the single wheel, and the operator can hold the 16 tilted laterally to the one sidev orthe other. as

structure with the frame level or with the frame the particular field and the conditions of use may require.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a hand operated plant spraying implement of simple and inexpensive construction which can be used to spray one or more rows of plants, and with which a minimum efiort on the part of the user is required since the pumps are working in opposite relation and disposition, the parts being thus better balanced for easier and smoother operation.

While I have herein shown and described only certain specific embodiments and have suggested only certain possible'uses of the device of my invention, it will be appreciated and understood that many changes and variations can be made in the form, construction, arrangement, design and assembly of the parts, and in the use of the ap-' paratus, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

l. A plant spraying implement comprising, a

.pair of spaced side frame members, a cross bar handle connecting said side frame members at one end into a frame structure, an axle journailed across the other end of said frame structure, a single wheel on said axle intermediate said side frame members, a liquid containing and storage tank mounted transversely upon the from the tank to said pumps, and operating con nections from the ends of the axle to alternately operate said pumps to maintain a constant supply of liquid from the tank to the distributor pipe.

2,4 plant spraying implement. comprising, a

pair of spaced side frame members, a cross bar handle connecting said side frame members at one end into a frame structure, an axle journalled across the other end of said frame structure, a

single wheel on said axle intermediate said side frame members, a liquid containing and storage tank mounted transversely upon the frame structure intermediate the-handle, bar and the axle, 1 a pump carried adjacent toeach of said side bar members, a distributor pipe carried transversely beneath the frame structure and adjacent to the handle bar member, a plurality of nozzles connected at spaced points with said distributor pipe, connections from said pumps to said distributor pipe, liquid supply connections from the tank to said pumps, operating connections from the ends of the axle to alternately operate said pi. v.lps to I maintain a constant supply of liquid from the tank to the distributor pipe, and valves manually settable to control the supply of liquid to said pumps and the force of. liquid to said nozzles. 3. A plant spraying implement comprising, a

pair of spaced side frame members, a cross bar handle connecting said side frame members at one end'into a frame structure, an axle jo nalled across the other end of said frame structure, a single wheel on said axle intermediate said side frame members, a liquid containing'and storage tank mounted transversely upon the frame structure intermediate the handle bar and the axle, a pump carried adjacent to each of acid 81 hi members, 8 distributor pipe (383- 7 aoeao'es ried transversely beneath the frame structure and adjacent to the handle bar member, a plurality of nozzles connected at spaced points with said distributor pipe, connections from said pumps to said distributor pipe, liquid supply connections from the tank to said pumps, drive gears carried by the ends of said axle and revolved by rotation of the wheel, driven pinions carried by the side frame members meshing with and rotated by said'drive gears, oppositely disposed crank arms on said driven pinions, and connections from said crank arms to said pumps to cause a1- ternate operation of the pumps and thus insure a continuous supply of liquid to the distributor p ne.

4. A plant spraying implement comprising, a pair of spaced side frame members, a cross bar handle connecting said side frame members at one end into a frame structure, an axle journailed across the other end of said frame structure, a single wheel on said axle intermediate said side frame members, a liquid containing and storage tank mounted transversely upon the frame structure intermediate the handle bar and the axle, a pump carried adjacent to each of said side bar members, a distributor pipe carried transversely beneath the frame structure and adjacent to the handle banmember, a plurality of nozzles connectedat spaced points'with said distributor pipe, connections from said pumps to said distributor pipe, liquid supply connections from the tank to said pumps, drive gears carried by the ends of said axle and revolved by rotation of the wheel driven pinions carried by the side frame members meshing with and rotated by said drive gears, oppositely disposed crank arms on said driven pinions, connections from said crank said pumws and the force of liquid to said nozzles. 6

5. A plant spraying implement comprising, a

pair of side bar frame members, a cross handle bar-connecting said side bar members at one end to form a supporting frame structure, bearings mounted on the under sides of said side bar meml0 bers adjacent to their free ends, an axle Journailed in said bearings, a supporting wheel fixed on said axle intermediate the side bar members, drive gears on the ends of said axle rotated thereby, a liquid containing and storage tank mounted on said frame structure acrossthe side bar members intermediate the axle and the cross handle bar, single action pumps carried by said side bar members beneath the tank, liquid supply connections from the tank to each of said pumps, a distributor pipe carried beneath said side bar members and transversely of the frame structure adjacent to the handle bar, a plurality of valved connections at spaced points throughout the length of said distributor pipe, connections from said pumps to said distributor pipe, spray nozzles connected with the valved connections of the distributor pipe, driven pinions revolubly mounted on said side bar members and in mesh with the drive gears, crank arms on said driven pinions disposed in opposed relation on the two sides of the frame, and pitman rod connections from said crank arms to operate the pumps on power strokes alternately as the implement is pushed across a field to cause rotation of the supporting wheel. I

FRED H. FRIEDMAN. 

